


When in Rome

by flyingcarpet



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Languages and Linguistics, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-08
Updated: 2010-12-08
Packaged: 2017-10-13 13:57:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/138141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingcarpet/pseuds/flyingcarpet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny learns the language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When in Rome

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to silveronthetree for beta-reading. Translations are at the end. If I've misused any part of the Hawaiian (or English) language in this fic, that was not my intention -- please comment and let me know, so I can fix it.

_Haole._ It's the first Hawaiian word that Danny hears, and it's aimed at him. He can tell it's not exactly a compliment. "Actually, it's Detective Williams," he says, emphasis on the _Detective._ "And you would be?"

"Meka Hanamoa," the guy says. "I'm your new partner, brah."

It's not a good start, but Danny wasn't really expecting a good start. He hates Hawaii, he hates that he was forced to move here just to see Gracie once a week, and he's not too thrilled about the Honolulu PD right now, either.

Fortunately, things get better from there.

 

 _Mahalo._ The word is stamped on every trash can in Honolulu, and at first Danny thinks the word actually means trash. He figures it out pretty quick, but Meka busts his chops about it for weeks anyway.

"I need a damn dictionary, living in this place," he says.

The next day, there's a book sitting on his desk, with cartoon turtles on the cover and the words 'Illustrated Hawaiian Dictionary' in big, bright letters.

"Cute," Danny says. "Real cute." Meka just gives him that shit-eating grin and tells him they have work to do.

 

 _Pidgin._ His first official day on the task force with McGarrett, the guy drags him all over the island looking for sources. Before Danny knows it, they've picked up a new member of their team and are stopping for something called shave ice. Back home it was a Sno-Cone, but whatever.

Out of nowhere, Steve breaks out in that half-code language that's not quite Hawaiian and definitely not English, his mouth slipping easily around the soft edges of the words. Danny bites his lip and looks away, so he can't watch Steve's lips move as he talks.

That way lies trouble.

 

 _Ohana._ Their team is like a family, and lusting after the other members of your family is not kosher. Danny's solved 87 homicide cases as a detective, and worked with nearly a dozen different partners during that time. He's never had to keep himself in check like this before, not with Meka or any of the guys back in Jersey, either. Danny puts the thought of Steve's lips and Steve's tats and his cocksure, confident walk out of his mind, or tries to. Predictably, he's not all that successful.

It doesn't help that Steve jumps at the stupidest possible opportunity to strip off his shirt and flash that ink, diving into the harbor after the armored car heist. Even though Kono's right there in her bikini, it's Steve that Danny can't take his eyes off of. The way those soft blue swirls stretch tight over the hard muscle of Steve's shoulders just makes Danny want to play connect-the-dots with his tongue. It's not an urge that's real conducive to the team's family atmosphere.

 

 _'Aina._ The explosion throws Danny to the earth and knocks the wind out of him, leaving him gasping for breath. He's not badly injured, and it's not like this hasn't happened before, but when he hears Steve yelling to ask if everyone's all right, he just can't yell back right that second that he's fine.

"Danny? Danny!" Steve appears in Danny's field of vision, blocking out the bright blue sky. "Hey, you okay, man?" Steve asks, one hand on Danny's arm and his face weirdly close.

He no longer feels like he's about to puke all over himself, which is a step in the right direction. "Yeah--" Danny croaks out, waving one hand vaguely to try to indicate _thrown against volcanic rock by an explosion,_ and _probably should've worn a vest,_ and _be all right in a minute._ Steve is usually really good at understanding what Danny's trying to say, even if he doesn't agree with whatever it is. This time, the point's not getting across, because Steve is right there in his face and not backing off.

"Hey, buddy, you okay?" Steve asks again, and then he's practically gazing into Danny's eyes like he's either checking for a concussion or about to lean in for a kiss. One of those would ordinarily be a lot more plausible than the other, but right now they seem about equally likely. Danny's suddenly glad that the earth is solid beneath him, because it's the only thing anchoring him while it feels like everything else around him is shifting into place and suddenly making a whole new kind of crazy sense.

The look on Steve's face is a lot more than plain old concern for a colleague, but it's also a _familiar_ look. It's a lot more than just 'are you injured?' It's a look that Steve gets when he's had a couple of beers, or when he doesn't think Danny's paying attention.

"I'm fine," Danny finally says, when he has the ability to breathe again. "Fine. Don't you have criminals to catch or something?"

Steve pulls back and that look goes out of his eyes and he's all business again, and for the moment Danny is relieved, because he doesn't have to decipher what just happened or give a name to that face.

 

 _Lanai._ It rains in Hawaii every damn day, which is something Danny was definitely not expecting when he moved here. Nobody seems to care, though, they just shrug their shoulders and wait it out. Tonight, rain drums into the palm trees, splashing up from the surface of the ocean.

Steve carries two bottles of beer out to the edge of the little roofed patio that leads to his backyard, and then stops just inside the curtain of water, looking out to the Pacific. From the doorway, Danny watches him as he stands there, still and quiet for once. It's rare for Danny to get a chance to observe Steve this way, and he lets himself enjoy the sight, trailing his eyes hungrily across Steve's broad shoulders, down to his slim hips and back up to his dark hair, now sparkling with drops of rain.

After a minute, Steve turns around, holding out one of the bottles. Danny tries to change his expression, to hide what he's been feeling for all too long now, but he's never been much good at that. Everything shows on his face, that's how its always been.

"Danny." A moment later Steve is right there in front of him, one hand on his shoulder in what could possibly be taken for a manly gesture of concern if it weren't for that look in his eyes, the one that mirrors all the want and uncertainty that Danny is feeling himself.

The last thing Danny wants is to mess this up, but it's been a long week. Getting shot at and having the breath knocked out of him kinda tends to break down his defenses.

"Hands off unless you mean it," he says, making it sound like a joke even though it really isn't.

Steve doesn't pull away. He slides his hand from Danny's shoulder to cup the side of his neck, and leans in so that their lips are about an inch apart.

"Okay?" he asks, as if this wasn't what Danny had been fantasizing about since they first met.

He doesn't need words to answer that question.

 

 _Aloha._ The sun is impossibly bright the next morning, as if yesterday's storm never even happened. Danny opens his eyes to see Steve with his face pressed to the pillow beside him, pretending to sleep.

"Good morning," Danny says, wondering if the pretense means that Steve thinks they've made a colossal mistake. "Or should I say aloha? Isn't that the island--"

"That means more than just 'good morning.'" Steve's eyes snap open, clear and hyper-focused on Danny's right away. He doesn't miss a beat. Except maybe when it comes to this.

"I know," Danny says.

**Author's Note:**

> Translations: Haole - mainlander or white person / Mahalo - thank you / Pidgin - generally, a simplified creole language. Specifically, [Hawaiian pidgin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_pidgin) is the slangy dialect used by many native Hawaiians in everyday conversation, including Kamekona and others on the show / Ohana - family / 'Aina - land or earth / Lanai - a Hawaiian-style roofed patio / Aloha - hello or goodbye, peace, I love you.


End file.
